1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electro-tactile panel apparatus, and more particularly to an electro-tactile panel apparatus with a four-layer panel structure, a holder to fasten themselves to a display panel and a controller so that the electro-tactile panel can provide electro-tactile sensation and cursor system for user.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An ETD (Electro-Tactile Device) is a kind of tactile device, which will apply electrical energy to the skin in order to stimulate the nerve axon of mechanoreceptors, and then generate tactile sensation (sense of touch). Recently, many research reports show that the tactus is capable of being generated by means of current stimulating the nerve axon of mechanoreceptors of the skin. Of all methods for tactile actuator, the method of current stimulation may be the most simple and efficiency one among them.
One prior art related to the tactile display is U.S. Pat. No. 5,977,867 with the title “Touch pad panel with tactile feedback.” The patent disclosed a touch pad or a touch screen attached with one or more vibrator to produce a tactile feedback sensed by the user as the pad or screen is touched with a finger or a pointer. However, the vibrations generated by the vibrator do not occur locally but a whole system. It can not provide the user with various tactile feedback in response to different dots or press
Other related one is U.S. Pub. No.: US2002/003469, with the title “Internet Browser Facility and Method for the Visually impaired.” The patent proposed a matrix type movable tactile elements for those visually-impaired users. The display panel is similar to Braille dot set to provide a readable panel, which is divided into three portions: Index Frame, Content Frame, and Button frame. Each of them provides different attributes. The contents frame displayed a Braille-translated version of a browsing Web page or text. The index frame includes several symbols for browsing commands. However, to constitute such a tactile feedback display panel, a great number of pressure or pressure-sensing transducers are demanded. Consequently, the cost for these tactile elements is rather sizeable. Moreover, the display provides merely Braille dot format for text and a simplified dot matrix image or line drawing for the graphical image. The actuator is one bit only, either raised or down the dot which equivalents to a black-white display.
Another related one is proposed by Heidelberg university in Germany. The paper disclosed that the tactile could be generated in terms of pin array. The display information is presented by pin actuator. The user can acquire the display information such as the shapes or profile of the image through the pin array touched. The interface utilizes a small number of actuator accompany with XY glide panel to transform the display information to tactile sensation. However, the tactile levers are not clarity due to the actuator restriction. The apparatus is much complicated too.